Turkey’s opposition is struggling to chart a path to victory in the upcoming presidential runoff on May 28th. Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is likely to benefit from the votes of an ultranationalist candidate eliminated in the first round, leading to an uphill battle for the opposition. The six-party coalition backing the opposition candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, is trying to increase turnout among supportive voters and adopt a more nationalist tone to attract crossover votes. Mr. Erdogan has linked himself to Turkey’s increasing military might and independence, and demonized the opposition by associating them with terrorism. The opposition needs to remain upbeat and confident, and make their plans clearer to voters in order to have a chance of unseating the president.
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